Exemption from the English language test for permanent residency: A UK degree is the way to go – should you spend £252 on this ENIC deal?

‘I did my master’s degree in the UK. Do I still need to take the B1 exam to apply for permanent residence? Do I need to get ENIC certification first?’

No exam or certification is required. Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees awarded by UK institutions are, in accordance with EL 5.2(a) of the Appendix on English Language, recognised forms of proof of English language proficiency in their own right; simply uploading a copy of your degree certificate when submitting your application fulfils this requirement. The group required to pay £252 and wait 20 working days consists of those whose degrees were awarded by institutions outside the UK. Below, we walk through the process in the order it is actually carried out, highlighting potential sticking points at each stage.

The first step is to check who awarded the degree, not where the courses were taken.

EL 5.2 divides degrees into three categories, and it is this distinction that determines whether further expenditure will be required:

This section on Canada is worth a closer look. The list of countries where English is the primary language in EL 4.1 includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Malta; however, EL 5.2(b) specifically excludes Canada in brackets. The reason is not hard to guess: French-medium education accounts for a significant proportion in Quebec. The result is that Canadian citizens can satisfy the English language requirement directly by virtue of their nationality, whilst an applicant holding a Chinese passport who has completed an undergraduate degree in Toronto—whose degree is not covered by EL 5.2(b)—must follow the EL 5.2(c) route, whereby Ecctis confirms on a case-by-case basis that the programme was ‘taught in English’. Ireland’s treatment is the opposite: although it is not on the EL 4.1 list, it has been specifically included in EL 5.2(b).

Regarding supporting documentation for the degree itself, EL 5.3 provides three options: a certificate from the awarding body, an academic transcript issued by the institution, or an official letter from the institution (which must specify the candidate’s name, the type and level of the degree, the awarding body and the date of award). The Home Office ‘Assessing the English Language Requirement’, dated 1 May 2025, explicitly states that provisional certificates will not be accepted. Therefore, recent graduates who have not yet received their official certificates should request an official letter from their institution containing all the aforementioned information, rather than submitting a provisional certificate with a request for supplementary documentation.

£252 – Where can I place this order, and how long will it take?

On 1 May 2025, Ecctis (the operator of UK ENIC) discontinued its former Visas and Nationality Service and replaced it with the Qualification and Language Service, or QLS for short. Those wishing to have both their qualification level and English proficiency assessed should select the product known as ‘English Proficiency and Qualification Comparison’.

Both the price and processing time have changed; this is a detail that only those who have actually applied recently would have noticed: the standard service tier is now £147.50, taking 10 working days, with a 48-hour express option available; QLS is a flat rate of £210 plus VAT (totalling £252), taking up to 20 working days, whilst the express option has been replaced by . Ecctis will contact the awarding institution directly to verify the authenticity of the degree; if the institution is slow to respond, the entire application will be held up; if Ecctis requests additional documents, the 20-working-day period will restart from the date the documents are submitted.

Do not confuse the two products: the ‘Pure Degree Comparison’ version, which does not include an English language assessment, is currently limited in scope to options relating to PhDs under the Work Permit scheme and the High Potential Individual route; whereas the ‘Statement of Comparability’ for job applications and further study does not assess English language proficiency at all. The guidelines are very clear on this point: assessors must not treat it as evidence of English language proficiency.

Here is my own assessment: if the sole purpose of this overseas degree is to meet the B1 requirement for permanent residence, in most cases I would not recommend purchasing a QLS. Taking a recognised listening and speaking test in the UK (such as IELTS Life Skills B1) costs roughly between £150 and £170, with results usually available within a matter of days; in contrast, paying £252 and waiting at least four weeks yields the same result. Conversely, if this degree is to serve a second purpose—such as being used by family members, proving the level of the qualification during the work visa application stage, or intending to use it later to meet the English language requirements for naturalisation—then it is worth going ahead with this.

If you’re unsure which category you fall into, it’s safer to spend £5 on justiscript.com to get a written response from a practising UK solicitor on this specific issue, rather than paying £252 up front for a report you might not even need.

Which option should I select on the permanent residence application form?

Before you reach the English section when filling in the form online, take a moment to check: dig out your previous successful application and see how you met the English requirement at the time, and what level you achieved.

The provision in the Appendix beginning with ‘English Language’ permits the use of previously submitted evidence—where the required level has already been demonstrated in a previous application, there is no need to resubmit evidence for this application. The key lies in the phrase ‘the required level has been demonstrated’. The example cited in the guidance is the international athlete route: an applicant who was previously approved at A1 level but for whom permanent residence requires B1 will need to provide new evidence for this requirement. Following the same logic, as the English language requirement for permanent residence will be raised to B2 after 26 March 2027, those who passed only the listening and speaking components at B1 level that year will need to re-evaluate whether their existing qualifications remain sufficient; With regard to degrees, EL 5 does not set different standards based on CEFR levels; the current route requiring B2 also accepts degrees taught in English.

Next are three specific points. In the ‘English’ section, select ‘Degree’ and upload your degree certificate or an official letter from your institution; for degrees awarded overseas, upload the QLS confirmation letter as well—both documents are essential. Life in the UK Test is treated separately, as it falls under Appendix KOL UK; this examination is not exempted for degree holders. In terms of timing, if you are certain you wish to apply for QLS, it is advisable to place your order six to eight weeks prior to your planned submission date—the 20 working days required for processing are nearly four weeks in themselves, so allow for the possibility of slow responses from your institution and the time required to restart the process should additional documents be requested.

Just to add something I didn’t mention earlier: this QLS confirmation letter itself has no expiry date. GOV.UK combines the English language proof on a single page to cover both ‘naturalisation’ and ‘settlement’; the degree route is also a recognised method at the naturalisation stage. Therefore, for those who genuinely hold only an overseas degree, the £252 mentioned above may not necessarily be a one-off expense – when spread across the two stages of permanent residence and naturalisation, the difference compared to taking a single SELT test is smaller than it appears. First, clarify which of the three categories you fall into, then decide where to spend your money; the order of these steps is more important than the amount involved.

[Source] Immigration Rules, Appendix: English Language (EL 4.1, EL 5.2, EL 5.3, EL 5.4) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-english-language; Home Office ‘Assessing the English Language Requirement’, 1 May 2025 edition https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-language-requirements-for-immigration-applicants/assessing-the-english-language-requirement-accessible; Ecctis QLS Fees and Validity Periods https://qls.ecctis.com/english-qualification-comparison/price-and-timeframe

This article is for reference only; fees and timeframes are subject to the latest announcements from GOV.UK and Ecctis; please consult a qualified solicitor regarding specific matters.

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